solo in northern thailand
to bangkok & chiang mai!
i started my 5 month solo trip in bangkok, thailand- a bustling city filled with temples, street markets, malls, nightlife and colors.
this was my first international solo trip for more than a year; i almost forgot what it was like to solo travel and stretch the muscle of independence. bangkok is a hell of a city to start with- the chaos of the city compared to seattle was like plunging into cold water. like any solo trip for me, in the beginning there was inevitably feelings of loneliness, and “what the hell did i just do” intrusive thoughts that i quickly tried to attribute to culture shock. but as the days went on, i finally began to feel the rhythm of the city and my own schedule of travel.
the reason for this trip is for exploration and homecoming. exploration, to adventure in all these countries in asia i’ve never been to, having the time and privilege to dive deeper in culture, politics, language of a place. homecoming because i haven’t been back the country where my family lives, where all my ancestors are from, where my native tongue is spoken in almost a decade- and i’ll be spending a month in china for chinese new year! to travel in places where people look like me, and so far asia feels foreign yet familiar. i feel a sense of belonging, but i know i’m an outsider in many ways. but to explore and feel acceptance as part of the asian diaspora— that is an irreplaceable, fuzzy-in-your-stomach wonderful type of feeling.
shot on a mix of 35mm film, digital on canon r6 and olympus pen ep-1
my loose itinerary went:
a few days in bangkok, a sleeper bus up to chiang mai for 5 days, and another bus farther north, either to pai, chiang rai or phayao for 5 days (i later decided on pai after hearing friends’ recommendations from chiang mai, and it was the highlight of my trip to the north!).
i also had the chance to take an all day cooking class in chiang mai at a farm- we made a multitude of dishes that are popular in north thailand. my favorites were khao soi and panang curry! here was the sink we repeatedly ran back to, especially after mashing spicy things.
carla and i walking home after a long day wandering chiang mai
temple gardener at wat pho temple
ootd of an elephant caretaker
breakfast on my first morning
street buns! my obsession
my days in bangkok were spent marveling at the temples, devouring street food as far as the eye could see, and observing city life.
the relationship between elephant and caretaker.
spent the day caring for elephants (bathing, making treats, feeding, and walking alongside them) at kerchor elephant eco park, a few hours drive from chiang mai.
2 weeks down, 18 weeks to go! these two weeks have already taught me so much and i’ve fallen more in love with solo travel, yet again.
i hope by documenting this trip visually and paired with words, it can serve as a illustrative road map of a city, a memory, or a feeling. thanks for reading<3
